MYRTLE POINT — If only Jim Roman were friends with Donald Trump or Oprah.

All he needs is someone with deep pockets to express interest in one of his inventions and he’d be in the big leagues.

Attracting investors is one of the biggest challenges inventors face when trying to place their products on the market.

“If I had rich connections, it wouldn’t be a problem,” Roman said.

In 2005, Roman unveiled his passion project, a product that, he believes, could have changed the face of the construction industry. But his patented interlocking building blocks, which stack like Legos to build homes of tremendous strength, for less money than traditional building materials, are on the back burner.

He sunk a third of a million dollars in research and development, much of which came from grants available to inventors. But without an investor, his brainchild remains stillborn.

Roman, however, is nursing a new project. He’s come up with LeanTwo backyard building panels. The panels are designed to build a sturdy storage shed, chicken coop or greenhouse in minutes. No tools required.

Rows of the triangle-shape structures line the front yard of his Myrtle Point home.

“A lot of people look at it and say ‘Gee what is that?’ And that’s what happens when you invent something different,” said Roman.

Two 4-foot by 8-foot side panels lean together at the precipice while the rear panel and front-door set complete the unit. Multiple panels can be added for a larger structure.

He sells the LeanTwos by the panel, but don’t expect to find them at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Getting national retailers to carry his product requires a mound of paperwork and stringent corporate oversight.

For now, he hopes there is enough local interest to kick-start his business.

Roman’s production facility is a small warehouse near his home. The assembly line includes a row of frames and a big roll of corrugated plastic which surfaces each panel.

He estimates that he produces about five to 10 LeanTwos a week.

“I’m just trying to get a feeling for the market and then we’ll see if it’s worth setting up more production,” he said.

Should LeanTwo become a moneymaker, Roman may resume production on his building blocks.

Creating cheaper-to-produce, smaller products to support a grander vision is a common practice among inventors.

Brian Kraynik of Bandon is hoping Hitch Hero will earn him some serious credentials when it comes time to pitch his other inventions. It’s a two-tray dog dish that fits into a hitch receiver of a car or truck. (It can also be used as a snow shovel — really!) The invention was born out of necessity, said Kraynik, who travels with two large dogs.

“It’s 100 percent designed, built and shipped in Oregon,” said Kraynik, who worked on the prototype for a year and a half.

He was lucky to find a local investor. (Kraynik couldn’t disclose who the investor is.) Beaver State Plastics of Drain manufactures the product, which will be available in the next few months.

He has no delusions of making big bucks off the product. With the licensing agreement, he’ll make six percent from each unit sold. And for that much, he’s thankful.

“That’s one of the things I strongly encourage. Accept the first offer you get,” said Kraynik.

For Kraynik, it’s about gaining experience in the field of invention.

“I’m really trying to learn from this one,” he said.

As for Roman, he’s well familiar with the process — from the “aha” moment to the frustrations that follow.

“I figured once I had the product made, the phone would be ringing off the hook,” Roman said of Interlocking Construction Systems, by his company Oregonized Builders. “But that’s not the way it works.”

That’s not to say his building blocks haven’t earned any attention. A feature article in an industry trade magazine caught the eye of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA inquired about their potential for emergency housing. However, Roman didn’t have an investor to help mass produce the product.

Inventors can expect to run into a multitude of road blocks, said Scott Traylor, head of the South Coast Inventors Group. Chief among them is acquiring a patent. The process can take up to two years and cost upwards of $10,000.

Inventors often acquire a patent as a means to “exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling,” according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

But even with a patent, you can still run into trouble.

“There are no patent police,” said Traylor, whose own inventions established U.S. SatCom, a North Bend company specializing in emergency satellite communication devices.

Large companies often buy patents to ensure a bright idea never reaches the marketplace in an effort to limit competition.

An estimated 90 percent of patents never come to fruition, said Traylor.

Despite the complications Roman experienced with his building blocks, he still holds hope.

“After all,” Roman said, “if the guy who invented the pet rock can make it. ...”